Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

18yr old girl needs an advice. PLS..

I am 18 yr old female. I have problem with excess hair on my body, have sensitive skin (sometimes bruises, wounds dont heel well), and altough I have healthy weight for my height, the fat stores in a very strange way on my tummy. I also have some red-purple stretches on my breasts which scares me (also breast pain from time to time, particulary the left breast). I am tired often and have mood swings. These all seem to be unrelated (but maybe it is related), and I have been angry and unhappy about all of the symptoms I am writing about, because otherwise I am a healthy and beautiful girl. But when I told my doctor she just said that I shouldnt have breast cancer because I am too young for it and the excess of hair is because I had anorexia when I was 14 and also the mod swings can relate to depression and anxiety which I suffered from. She is an old doctor and I think she doesnt really know what is she talking about!! She didnt sent me for any tests!! Is it normal? So now I searched on internet and found something like Cushing's disease. Or ectopic ACTH syndrome. Can it be my case??

Help me please. I am afraid of being ill but I need to know what's going on. Even if I did not suffer from anything serious, I consider me to be beautiful but I do not really like the hair on my body and the red lines on my breasts!! I am ashamed to talk to other people or to the doctor again. I am really very unhappy.

4 Replies:

First off, where do you live? U.S. or somewhere else? Second, calm down. To me, your symptoms all sound normal and typical for a girl your age. The red marks on your breasts are probably stretch marks from when you were developing. The excess hair is called hirsutism, and is also very normal for certain people and ethnic groups. It does have a chance of being related to a hormone imbalance though; get that checked out. By another doctor, most certainly! The breast pain is probably related to your menstrual cycle. Chart it on a calendar and see if it corresponds. If you want to be tested for ACTH syndrome, which is Cushing's disease, ASK to be tested. YOU are the patient, and have a right to get tests that you ask for. If your insurance does not cover it, perhaps you may have to pay for it. The test is easy, usually they give you a container and you collect your urine for 24 hours. They then test it for high levels of cortisol.I am 44 years old, and have a lot of experience with doctors - you need to find a different one, younger or older, man or woman. who understands your concerns. Ask someone you feel comfortable with, and who likes their doctor for a recommendation. Find out who their doctor is, and perhaps you can go see them. An internal medicine doctor can also screen you for depression and anxiety and put you on medication to make you feel better. Don't shy away from it, it can really help. As you get older, you will become more assertive and it will be easier to manage your symptoms and your health care. Most every woman in their 20's has these worries, you are starting to feel like an adult, and have some more adult worries. such as about your health. Seek out a friend that you can talk to about your feelings, and you'll probably find someone who is thinking the same things! Write back and let us know!

You do not get red/purple strechmarks with PCOS. Cushings is OFTEN misdiagnosed as PCOS. You should visit www.cushing-help.com . They also have a very good forum. You need to ask for a referral to a endocronoligst and have these tests done: AM cortisol serumPM cortisol serumAM cortisol salviaPM cortisol salviaACTH24hr urinePotassiumGlucoseTSHFree T4Free T3 There are more, but these should be done to start with...You definitly sound like you could have cushings! Kiera